Aorta
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| Artery: Aorta | |
|---|---|
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| The thoracic aorta, heart and other great vessels. | |
| Gray's | subject #142 |
| Branches | thoracic aorta, abdominal aorta |
| MeSH | Aorta |
| Cardiology Network |
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| Adult Congenital |
|---|
| Biomarkers |
| Cardiac Rehabilitation |
| Congestive Heart Failure |
| CT Angiography |
| Echocardiography |
| Electrophysiology |
| Cardiology General |
| Genetics |
| Health Economics |
| Hypertension |
| Interventional Cardiology |
| MRI |
| Nuclear Cardiology |
| Peripheral Arterial Disease |
| Prevention |
| Public Policy |
| Pulmonary Embolism |
| Stable Angina |
| Valvular Heart Disease |
| Vascular Medicine |
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Overview
The aorta (generally pronounced eɪˈɔːtə or "ay-orta") is the largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and bringing oxygenated blood to all parts of the body in the systemic circulation.
The course of the aorta
The aorta is usually divided into five segments/sections [1] [2] [3] [4] :
- Ascending aorta — the section between the heart and the arch of aorta
- Arch of aorta — the peak part that looks somewhat like an inverted "U"
- Descending aorta — the section from the arch of aorta to the point where it divides into the common iliac arteries
- Thoracic aorta — the half of the descending aorta above the diaphragm
- Abdominal aorta — the half of the descending aorta below the diaphragm
Features
The aorta is an elastic artery, and as such is quite distensible. When the left ventricle contracts to force blood into the aorta, the aorta expands. This stretching gives the potential energy that will help maintain blood pressure during diastole, as during this time the aorta contracts passively.
Diseases/pathology
- Aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva
- Aortic aneurysm - myotic, bacterial (e.g. syphilis), senile, genetic, associated with valvular heart disease
- Aortic coarctation - pre-ductal, post-ductal
- Atherosclerosis
- Marfan syndrome
- Trauma, such as traumatic aortic rupture, most often thoracic and distal to the left subclavian artery[5] and frequently quickly fatal[6]
 Aorta (Image courtesy of radiopaedia.org) |
References
- ↑ Tortora, Gerard J: "Principles of Human W. & Karen A. Koos: Human Anatomy, second edition, page 479. Wm. C. Brown Publishing, 1994 (ISBN 0-697-12252-2)
- ↑ De Graaff, Van: "Human Anatomy, fifth edition", pages 548-549. WCB McGraw-Hill, 1998 (ISBN 0-697-28413-1)
- ↑ Last's Anatomy - 10th Edition - Chummy S Sinnatamby
- ↑ Clemete's Anatomy - Regional Atlas of the Human Body - 3rd Edition
- ↑ Samett EJ. http://www.emedicine.com/radio/topic44.htm Aorta, Trauma. eMedicine.com. Accessed on: April 24, 2007.
- ↑ (2006) "Aortic Trauma in Scotland - A Population Based Study.". European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery 32 (6): 686-689. PMID 16750920. April 24, 2007
External links
ar:الشريان الأبهرast:Aorta bg:Аорта ca:Aorta da:Aorta de:Aorta el:Αορτήeo:Aorto eu:Aorta fr:Aorte ko:대동맥 hr:Aorta id:Aorta it:Aorta he:אב העורקים la:Aorta lt:Aorta hu:Aorta ms:Aorta nl:Aorta ja:大動脈 no:Aorta nn:Livpulsåre nds:Aortasq:Aorta sk:Srdcovnica sr:Аорта fi:Aortta sv:Aortauk:Аорта
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Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
